


I Just Love Animals

by Honeydeau



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Animals, Awkward, Cute, Human Tom, M/M, pet store au, tomco-headcannons tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-19 01:12:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9410882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honeydeau/pseuds/Honeydeau
Summary: Pet Store AU by tomco-headcannons.tumblr.comDestiny is a jerk, but sometimes... it's not so bad.





	

It's funny how things happen sometimes. How, when you least expect it, things take an immediate turn right when you were expecting a left; how all of it could have been avoided if you had or hadn't done the action that caused the avalanche. Marco didn't hate what happened, but he had to say it was pretty unexpected. Interesting, even.

Money. That's all he really wanted out of that job, but apparently destiny, as Star liked to call it, had to come and highjack his life. Well, again, he should say, because it happened at least twice a week.

He felt lucky when he showed up for his first day on a Saturday afternoon. Hair gelled , shirt tucked, and khakis hemmed, he felt like a million bucks. Well, maybe not a million (his belt was a bit too tight because he had to wear a pair of his Dad's pants until he got his own), but a crisp twenty at least.

A waft of wood shedding and fish food hit his nose once he walked through the door and he already loved it. Chirps and squeaks caressed his ears and he had the immediate urge too seek out a pet and cuddle it. But no, he couldn't. Someone would see him and that would be a terrible first impression. So, he wandered to the front counter and, upon not seeing anyone at the counter, rang the little silver bell sitting by the register. 

Almost immediately, a small woman poked her head out of the door that he supposed connected the employee reserved area and the rest of the store.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Oh! I'm Marco, I'm new," he gestured to his name tag.

The woman smiled and opened the door completely, carting out a wheeled desk with fish supplies and food set atop. "Perfect! I was just told to bring this cart out and train you! Follow me, please."

Marco nodded and waited until she got the cart all the way around the counter before doing as she asked. As they walked around, Marco took note on how many sections there were. Cats, dogs, reptiles and amphibians, rodents and, the section he would be working with, fish. As they approached the very back of the store, Marco realized how big that store really was. The fish tanks, all stacked and attached to the wall, nearly went all the way up to the ceiling; they held a smorgasbord of fish, none of them looking like another. Some were huge, taking up a whole tank for one, and some were so small that all you could see was a speck.

"Wow, this place is crazy!" He voiced his impression.

"Yeah, we're known for our variety of animals here. You name it, we have it," she said, sprinkling some food into one of the bottom tanks.

Marco grew more and more excited about his job as she explained it to him. Apparently the only time the top tanks needed to be reached for were when they needed to be cleaned or if a customer asked for them specifically. Otherwise, they had an automatic feeder that was refilled once a month. He'd also be in charge of crickets, which he was a little grossed out about, but she said he'd get over it. He probably wouldn't, but he might get better at hiding his discomfort.

"Alright, so I guess that's it! All the bottom tanks need to be fed and cleaned by eight o'clock but, if you want, you can go and introduce yourself to the other sections," she said, patting him on the back," I'm Beth, by the way."

"Thanks Beth," Marco exhaled.

She giggled. "I know it's quite a bit to take in, but you'll get the hang of it."

And with that, he waved her off.

Not wanting to forget, Marco went ahead and grabbed the fish food and started sprinkling it in the tanks. He laughed to himself a bit whenever he saw the fish stick their head out of the water a little more than necessary. Once he was finished, he decided to clean as well. The smaller fished liked to kiss and bite his arm when he wiped the glass and he wasn't sure whether to be freaked out or smile. So he did both. He knew it wasn't an attractive look, but he wasn't too concerned.

After a while, people started filing to the back to ask for fish and crickets, some politely, some in a way that made him want to karate chop them some manners. It wasn't until an hour before his shift was supposed to end that he finally deemed it acceptable to walk around. 

Marco made a mental list of all the names he was told throughout the store as he introduced himself. 

Dogs: Judy, Mark, Sandy and Brock. 

Cats: Tammy and Trish. 

Rodents: Greg, Mindy, and Adam.

He looked at his watch as he made his way to the reptile and amphibian area. Thirty more minutes to go. 

There was a special room for the scaled animals off to the right of the store. Above the entrance, a wooden sign read "Reptile Expedition". It was much warmer in there, catering to the many frogs, snakes, and lizards that lounged in their glass boxes contentedly. Marco examined some of them closely, bending over to get a better look at a colorful corn snake.

"Can I help you?" A deep voiced asked for the second time that day.

Marco jumped and whipped around with embarrassment pouring from every movement. He quickly regained his composure, though, getting a good look at the apparent caretaker for the section.

"Tom?"

Tom! The current "bad boy" at his school that Star dated a while back. They weren't really on friendly terms. He'd seen him around school a couple times, causing trouble, but he hadn't talked to him. While his appearance practically oozed intimidation, Marco was more or less immune to its effect. He knew Tom meant no real harm and they actually had a lot in common. He just had to get around the bad attitude and temper.

Tom blinked and looked Marco up and down. 

"You work here?"

Marco ran a hand through his gelled hair, effectively getting his fingers caught and struggling for a moment. "I, uh, yeah, I work here now. As of today. Um, you work here?"

Tom huffed and turned around."Obviously. What of it?"

"I just didn't think you'd have a job. Let alone here."

Tom gave a calculating side glance before reaching down into one of the big concave exhibits. "I just... I like animas."

Marco smiled and looked at his shoes, imagining Tom carefully cradling a rabbit. When he looked back up, though, it was definitely not a rabbit that he was holding.

"Holy crap!" He squeaked.

Tom turned, gently maneuvering the giant snake around his shoulders and torso. They stared at each other as the creature flicked its tongue in Marco's direction.

"I really like animals."

"Uh..."

"This is Desdemona. Our very own Papuan python."

Marco hesitantly stepped forwards, but jumped when the snake turned it's head toward him.

"She won't hurt you. She's pretty much the mascot of this place. All the employees love her," Tom said, scratching under her chin.

"So nobody's tried to buy her?"

"Nope. Not even when she was little."

A bit of sympathy struck his heart at the thought of it. Probably the only time he'd ever feel bad for a snake.

Tom set Desdemona back into her exhibit and turned her lamp up a bit higher.

"So what's been up with you?" Marco asked without confidence. Why was he even making small talk with this guy? Wasn't he supposed to be a jerk? He didn't seem too bad so far... 

"Oh, you know, same old, same old. Passed that anger management class, though," Tom smiled proudly.

"Yeah? That's cool."

He supposed that was a lot of the reason why he was being nicer than he remembered. Marco glanced at his watch. 

"Oh, uh, it's time for me to head out now, so... I'll see ya tomorrow I guess?"

Tom shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I guess."

It was in that moment, as he shared a genuine grin with the school miscreant, he recognised the jerky navigation of destiny take hold of his life again.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

Sunday was much slower than the previous day. There were a few groggy churchgoers who came in at six am before their service, but the store was pretty empty otherwise. Most people had off on Sundays, but since he was new, he drew an automatic short stick. So there he sat, watching the crickets and waiting for customers. He'd already straightened up the products on the shelves, moped the floor and fed the fish. He wasn't too sure what he was supposed to do now.

He slumped on his stool by the counter, counting the little bugs over and over again until he saw someone walking his way. He straightened up and smiled, ready to greet a customer, but it was just Tom. Marco felt a slight queasiness in the pit of his stomach that he squashed with a clear of his throat.

"Hey. What're you doing over here?" he said in the nicest way possible, still a bit wary of the other boy's temper.

Tom shrugged and sat behind the counter with him, careful to hide himself behind the register. "I got bored."

Marco chuckled. "Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not really supposed to wander without permission."

"Does that go for everyone or just you?"

Tom's eyebrow rose slyly, but he laughed it off. "It goes for everyone. People are supposed to stay at their stations, but literally nobody comes in on Sundays."

Marco studied him. He didn't remember it being this easy to talk to Tom. Then again, he'd never truly tried. The counter was small, so Tom was huddled up a bit too close in his attempt to stay hidden. He realized how awkward he must have seemed to onlookers, talking to the register and all, but he was glad to have some company.

"Why don't we ask for permission then?"

"You want to?"

"Yeah, you could show me how to do some other stuff around the store," Marco said, excited to be able to do something.

"Alright. I could show you how much Frank the turtle loves tomatoes!"

Now, that caught Marco off guard. This was a completely different Tom than who he saw at school everyday. Guess he really did just love animals.

And so they got permission from the manager to walk around and take care of things in other places. They swept the floors and danced to the music on the intercom, Tom taught him how to correctly groom a labradoodle, they ate lunch on the roof, joking and talking about anything that came to mind, and when it was almost time to leave, Marco honestly didn't want to.

They stood outside the doors as the store manager closed up shop.

"It's so weird how early this place closes on Sunday," Marco said.

"Well, you saw how much business we got today. There's really no point in staying all day."

"Yeah, but noon seems a bit too early."

Tom shrugged and pulled his work shirt over his head, exposing a good fraction of his stomach. Marco gulped, taking in the pale flesh eagerly before his undershirt fell and hid it from view once again.

"Are you okay?" Tom asked while folding his work shirt,"You're pretty red."

"I'm- yeah, I'm fine! I'll,um, see you later okay?" Marco said.

"Yeah. Okay, see ya."

Marco scurried off down the street towards his house, knowing all too well what the harsh drumming of his heart meant.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Weeks went by and Marco and Tom worked together and grow closer. There were flirty shoves and banter, standing much too close to each other during huddles and shy smiles. Sometimes Tom would get in trouble for all the time he spent in the fish area instead of his own, but once they threatened to move him, he stopped going. He couldn't bare the loss of his bond with the many snakes and frogs he'd taken care of for so long. Marco was okay with just glancing at each other from across the store, though.

But one week, he stopped coming. Everyday Marco went to work that week, he'd made sure to stop at the reptile and amphibian room to check for Tom, who, every time, wasn't there. Did he quit? Why wasn't he coming to work? He saw him at school every day sitting and talking to his cronies; he looked fine. 

When Saturday finally rolled around, Marco told himself that if Tom wasn't there, he'd approach him at school. Which he really didn't want to do because Tom hang out with some nasty guys. 

As he approached the pet store, he was surprised to see Tom sitting at a booth outside, talking to customers happily. There were cages and cages of cats and dogs sitting all around him, most of them voicing their contentment or discomfort. The other boy spotted him walking up and waved him over.

"Hey Marco, wanna help me with Adoption Day?"

"Nobody told me it was adoption day!" 

Tom rose a brow and pointed at a flier hung on the wall. "Seriously? There's only been a million of these papers hanging everywhere in the store for the past month."

Marco rubber the back of his neck as he examined the paper. Yup. It said, in big, bold lettering "Adoption Day September 29th".

"Oh... I guess I've just been... distracted lately..." he chuckled nervously,"Where have you been all week?"

Tom beamed up at him from his seat and Marco almost melted. How pathetic, Marco, get a grip.

"I spent the week over at the local pet shelter to help organize this event. It was pretty great. Oh! I want to show you a special lady I met while over there!" Tom said in a sing song voice, jumping up.

A flash of jealousy flitted across Marco's heart before he stomped it down in embarrassment. He couldn't control who Tom talked to. 

Suddenly, Tom was bouncing back to him, holding a ball of fluff in his arms. He gave it to Marco and it looked up at him. Or, it tried, at least.

"This is Bam. Her eyes never opened when they were supposed to so her lids are melded shut. She's really sweet and we're gonna find her a home!"

Oh. Of course. The cat crawled around on his shoulders meowing softly, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Oh! Um, yeah. That's cool! Why is her name Bam?"

"She runs into stuff a lot."

He chuckled and scratched behind her ear. 

Marco and Tom filled out adoption papers and gave people recommendations on how to care for their new pets, making sure to advertise Bam and introduce her to everyone who came by. Hours past and still, nobody showed any interest. 

"Hello, ma'am, could I introduce you to-"

"No."

"Sir, you-"

"No."

"Ma'am-"

"No."

"Oh my God! Why are people so rude!" Tom vented.

Marco slowly looked at Tom from where he had his head propped on his hand.

"I don't know, Tom, but that was the last customer before close."

Tom huffed and crossed his arms, looking at Bam seeping in her cage by their adoption table. His eyes softened. Marco pat his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sure she'll find a home after she gets sent back to the shelter. They have adoptions going on there all the time!"

"These animals were brought here because there was no more room at the shelter," Tom explained,"If we send her back..."

Marco winced. Bam rolled over in her cage with a small 'mew'. He seriously wasn't thinking of what he thought he was thinking, was he? He sighed and rubbed his face.

"I... I could adopt her?" It sounded more like he was asking than telling.

Tom shook his head. "You don't have to do that, Marco."

"I want to."

Tom looked at him with a small sparkle in his eye. "Would you really so that?"

His face heated up. The look on Tom's face was enough incentive to do anything. "Yeah, I don't see why not...?"

Arms were suddenly wrapped around his back and he was being hugged fiercely by an overjoyed Tom.

"Yes! Thank you, Marco, you're the best! Gah! I could kiss you!"

Marco nearly choked an air, pulling back quickly with an almost scared expression.

Tom slapped his forehead. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it-"

"Could you?"

"Could I?"

"Kiss me."

"Okay."

And their lips connected in a small, chaste kiss. It was only four seconds, but Marco felt like it was enough to satisfy him for the rest of his life. They looked at each other with red cheeks and glinting eyes.

"I'm not paying you guys to make googly eyes at each other! Clean up!" Their manager yelled.

They shot apart and immediately started cleaning and sweeping around their adoption desk. Tom took a moment to grab Marco's sleeve and whisper into his ear:

"Thanks."

 

So, it wasn't that he didn't like what destiny had done for him, he wished there had been a bit more warning, but you know, destiny doesn't have a schedule. It just comes, slaps you in the face, and leaves. But some slaps didn't sting as much as others.


End file.
